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Vienna Mozart Grand or Beethoven Baby Grand

Anyone compared these two? I am trying my friends old Mozart (the pre-Grand model) and its really good but considering stepping up to the Beethoven Baby Grand. I have a Moon I-3RS amp, goes really well with the Mozarts.

Also the Hifi News Aug 08 review of the Beethoven Baby Grand suggests it could be a demanding amp load as the minimum impedance gets down to 1.5ohms (average is 4ohms). Does anyone know what this means? My amp, the Simaudio moon I-3RS is rated 200W at 2ohm - could the speakers damage the amp when the impedance gets low?
Thanks for your help in advance.
acdvd
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Miner, which model of B&K was the dealer using?
miner42
709 posts
 
The amp I believe was the reference 200.2 S2; not sure about the preamp
guidocorona
4,298 posts
 
Miner, the B&K reference 200.2 S2 apparently has a stated damping factor of 450, which should be quite good for driving the Mozarts without bloat. I honestly have no idea what the problem may have been, except perhaps for equipment not well broken in.
dlee
11 posts
 
i have heard both the beethoven baby grands and the mozart grands. (i bot the beethovens). they r totally diff speakers sound wise and technically. the mozart is a 2.5 design w/diff crossover. i think the baby grands sound much better. however, the baby grands are very finicky about room placement, and if not set up correctly, u will get bass boom. yes, the impedance can drop pretty low on the beethovens, so b careful. i m not sure about your i-3. i have the i-5 and i really shud upgrade to a more powerful amp.
dcstep
1,518 posts
 
Good point Dlee. The VA Baby Grands have a rear-firing, which need to engage the rear wall, BUT moving them just a fraction of an inch can produce a bass node or hump that'll spoil the overall balance and the mids. Fortunately, only a little patience is needed to get it right. Better yet, in the US, if you buy from a Sumiko dealer they'll set it up for you using their amazing Master Set method and you'll hear exactly how good things can get.

Dave
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